


Grrr Means I Love You in Android

by deeeranged



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, But also not, Feral Behavior, Fluff, Gavin is kind of a bitch, Hurt/Comfort, I don't know how to play chess, Injury, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Protective Upgraded Connor | RK900, Rating May Change, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has a Different Name, Violence, bad descriptions of playing chess, reed900, this fic pretty much revolves around reed900, yeah that’s right this is an angst fic now thots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 04:26:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19738294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deeeranged/pseuds/deeeranged
Summary: “What the hell is that?”“The RK900 has been showing many characteristics outside of his programming-”“You mean Nines is making that sound?”





	1. Nines puts the FUN in SYSTEM MALFUNCTION

**Author's Note:**

> So I decided to write something, for purely self-indulgent reasons. Nines is acting feral for some reason. Gavin is confused. Hank and Connor are done with this shit. Elijah and Chloe are sassy little shits. You know. The good stuff.
> 
> Big warning: I have commitment issues. I'm sorry if I don't update for a long time heh
> 
> There might be some 18+ scenes in the future, but alas, I am an 18 year old virgin who has never written smut of any kind. Who knows. I might shove an awkward sex scene in here at some point.
> 
> If anybody has any corrections or suggestions, PLEASE comment down below (or message me on Tumblr @chicago-reeed). I am terrified to post this, because I'm sure there are a million things wrong with it, but I really want to post it before I chicken out.
> 
> Stay woke SKEE YEE

The jarring sound of his ringtone pulls Gavin Reed out of a deep sleep.

Sluggishly, he untangles himself from his covers. He abruptly lets out a groan, scaring his cat from her place on the edge of the bed. It takes Gavin a second to find his phone on the nightstand, but he eventually succeeds, accepting the call and lifting it up to his ear.

“Who-” Gavin clears his throat, “Who is this? It better be important if you’re calling me at the ass crack of dawn.”

“Hello, Gavin. It’s nice to hear your voice.”

Fuck. That.

“What the fuck do you want, Kamski?”

“I’ve told you countless times to call me Eli-”

“Yeah, don’t care. Do you need something? Or did you run out of money to pay people to socialize with you?” Gavin collapsed back into his bed.

“I believe I’ve found something that you’ve lost, little brother.”

Gavin sits up, blinking the sleep away, “What-”

“I was quite surprised when an RK900 model android showed up at my door in the middle of a snow storm. I wouldn’t have thought to call you, but he’s mentioned your name a lot since he got here.”

Gavin groans, kicking his feet over the side of his bed, “I’ll be right there.”

The detective’s car is still cold by the time he pulls onto the freeway, the snow storm outside doing him absolutely no favors.

“Piece of shit heater.” He grumbled.

A few minutes into the drive, Gavin lets out a resigned sigh and pulls out his phone, traffic laws be damned.

A gruff voice answers after a few rings, “Who is this? I swear if you woke me up for some stupid-”

“It’s Gavin, Hank. We’ve got a problem.”

“Reed? The hell you callin’ me this early for?”

“Apparently Connor 2.0 got himself into some trouble. I’m heading over to pick him up right now.”

“Trouble? Nines?”

“Yeah, I don’t know either. Can you and trash-bot meet me there? He knows more about the tin-can than I do.” Gavin honks his horn as some prick cuts him off, “Stupid phcking-I’ll send you the address.”

“Now hold on just a-” Gavin hangs up before the Lieutenant can finish. He doesn’t feel like answering dumb questions.

He sends off a quick text to Hank and Connor, before throwing his phone on the passenger seat and returning his attention to the road.

\----------

“What the fuck are we doing here, Reed?”

Gavin isn’t totally sure how Hank and Connor managed to beat him to Elijah’s house. Droid probably gets traffic updates and was able to avoid the idiots driving around at 5:00 AM.

Said android and the Lieutenant stand side-by-side in front of the house as Gavin stepped out of his car. The cold air bit his cheeks and he rubbed his arms, trying to retain some heat from the car.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist, old man. We’re here to pick up Nines. Didn’t I tell you that?

“Okay then. What is Nines doing here?” Gavin ignores the question and starts to walk towards the front door. Connor quickly catches up to him, leaving Hank cursing behind them.

“Is Nines okay, Detective?”

“Hell if I know. Elijah just called and said he was here.” Gavin walked up to the front door, pressing the doorbell multiple times.

“Elijah as in Elijah Kamski? How do you know-”

“Don’t ask stupid questions, R2D2.”

Gavin taps his foot as they wait for the door to open. Hank catches up to them.

“Seriously, Gavin what are we doing here?” Gavin huffs and turns around, crossing his arms.

“Elijah called me about an hour ago saying that Nines appeared at his house, and now he’s here. I don’t know why, I don’t know how. Don’t ask me any more questions.” Gavin sends them each a glare and turns back around towards the door.

Hank and Connor share a surprised look, unbeknownst to the detective. Hank’s phone pings, and he pulls it out to read the text.

‘I think Detective Reed is worried.’

Hank sends a knowing smile towards Connor, who returns it quietly. Then, the door opens, revealing a grinning Elijah Kamski.

“Hello, little brother.” Gavin ignores how Connor’s LED turns yellow in surprise, moving towards Elijah and shoving a finger into his chest. The bastard just smiles and puts his hands up in mock surrender.

“Where is he.” It’s not a question.

“Straight to the point, aren’t we?”

“I swear to-”

“Alright! I get it. Chloe, could you please show our guests to the RK900?”

Gavin looks past Elijah to see one of the Chloe’s standing behind him, a pleasant smile adorning her face. Gavin scoffs.

“Too lazy to do it yourself?”

“Unfortunately, your android has become rather elusive since he got here. I’m not sure where he’s wandered since I last saw him.”

Gavin thinks Elijah had worded that pretty strangely. Sure Nines was naturally curious, but he never really “wandered”. Unless the android is actually doing something, he has a habit of remaining in one place. Gavin has been trying to encourage him out of that habit. It’s startling to walk up to his desk in the morning and find an unmoving, unblinking, unbreathing RK900 sitting across from him.

“Luckily for us, Chloe is connected to the entire house. Can you locate him for us, dear?”

Chloe smiles at them warmly, “The RK900 is currently located in the basement. Please follow me.” She turns and starts walking away without waiting to see if they would follow.

Elijah turns toward Connor and Hank, “RK800, Lieutenant. May I borrow you for a moment? I will need help setting up some equipment. Gavin seems like he’s busy.”

Gavin gave Elijah a look, “The basement?”

Elijah smiled, and gestured for Gavin to follow Chloe, “Ladies first.”

\----------

The detective follows Chloe through the giant house, wondering how she remembers where everything is.

‘She’s an android, of course she remembers where everything is.’ It’s not Gavin’s own voice that corrects his thoughts, but rather a familiar deep voice that has lectured him many times before.

“I remember you.” Gavin is startled by Chloe’s sudden words.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I am the RT600; the original Chloe. Along with Elijah, you were one of the first humans I saw.”

“Oh.” Gavin hasn’t thought about this certain area of his past in awhile, “I remember you too, I think.” He didn’t really want to think about it in that moment, either.

Gavin thinks he sees Chloe turn her head towards him slightly, but before either of them could speak, they reach a rather ominous looking door.

Gavin cringes a bit, “I’m assuming this is the basement?”

His suspicions are confirmed when Chloe opens the door. Suddenly, a faint rumbling sound starts to emanate from somewhere at the darkness below.

“What the hell is that?”

“The RK900 has been showing many characteristics outside of his programming-”

“You mean Nines is making that sound?”

Chloe, seemingly unperturbed by the interruption continues, “It is quite startling to see at first. I’ve never witnessed anything quite like it.”

Suddenly, Gavin begins to think this isn’t going to be easy.

The pair starts to descend the creaky wooden stairs, the sound starting to reverberate through Gavin’s chest, “Elijah didn’t put any lights down here? Was his budget too low or something?”

Chloe’s steps don’t waver, “We turned off the lights, as they seemed to set off the RK900.”

Shit. Gavin does not want to know what she means by that. A shudder runs up his spine, “How thoughtful.”

Once they reached the bottom, Gavin looks around. The basement is cold, possibly colder than it is outside, and impossibly dark. A small window in the corner of the room does little to help. Abruptly, Chloe stops right in front of him.

“Don’t move.” Her voice holds a curious amount of urgency.

Gavin looks up and is surprised to see her LED is still a calm blue, though he can’t quite see her expression. Chloe’s eyes are fixed in front of her, on the corner of the room. Gavin looks in that direction, but his eyes still struggle to adjust to the dark basement. He does, however, see a bright red LED glowing in front of them.

“Nines?”

The rumbling is louder now, coming from the corner of the room. It almost sounds like-

“Is that growling?” What the fuck. Actually what the fuck. Gavin doesn’t know what to think. Is Nines really fucking growling?

Chloe doesn’t answer. Gavin looks back towards the corner.

Nines is hunched in the corner of the room. His form is barely visible, lit only by sparse moonlight streaming through the window at the top of the wall. Gavin can see Nines twitch every now and then.

“Oh Christ, what the hell-”

“The RK900 has been in this state for approximately six point eight hours, maybe longer. When he showed up at Elijah’s front door, he was somewhat coherent. However he became incomprehensible before I could gather any significant information hinting to his current state.” She turns towards Gavin, “However the RK900 did mention your name many times when he first got here.”

Ok, Gavin is definitely going to ignore that.

“Has he talked since then?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Why is he naked?” Gavin can practically hear Chloe’s teasing smile.

“The RK900 removed his clothes at some point during the night. If my scans are correct, which they are, his affliction has caused him to overheat. Luckily, this means he is still capable of some reason.”

Gavin’s face heats up as he attempts to keep his eyes from straying downwards. He chastises himself for being so immature, and coughs into his hand.

“There’s no need to be apprehensive, Gavin. It’s simply a precautionary measure.” Gavin huffs as Chloe puts her hand on his shoulder.

At the movement, the pale shape in the corner twitches sharply. Nines snarls loudly in their direction. Chloe’s LED turns yellow.

Gavin lowers his voice to a whisper, “Is he...dangerous?”

She takes a moment to respond, “Since he has been here, the RK900 has shown some...violent behavior.”

“Elaborate.”

“Two ST200 models were sent in for repairs after they tried to initiate contact with the RK900.”

Gavin’s brow furrows in thought and he chews on his lip, never taking his eyes off of Nines.

Now that the android is facing them, Gavin could see something glint in the moonlight. He squints, only to see something sticking out of Nines’ stomach.

“What the hell is that?”

“I believe the RK900 was in some kind of altercation, which resulted in a piece of metal being lodged in his chassis.”

“You didn’t think to try and take it out?” Gavin didn’t mean to say it with so much venom.

Chloe smiled softly, “Why don’t you go over their and attempt to remove it yourself?”

“Oh hell no.”

“Of course I thought to remove the obstruction. That’s why the two ST200 models are currently being repaired.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“It makes no difference. At any rate, he doesn’t seem to be growling at you.”

Gavin raises an eyebrow at the thundering figure in the corner, “...Really?”

“I’m almost certainly positive.”

“Ok, well almost certainly positive isn’t good enough for me, sister. Why would he be growling at you, but not me? I’m probably the most offensive thing he knows.” Gavin and Nines have been the bane of each other's existence for a good three months now.

“Perhaps it is because you are not an android. That might be a clue as to who did this to him.”

Chloe’s LED flickers yellow for a split second, before turning back to blue.

The pair both look at Nines, who’s crouching on all fours, snarling and twitching.

“I believe that this situation calls for action on our part. It’s very likely that the RK900 won’t recover from his condition if we do nothing.”

“Are you sure we can’t just wait for him to get better?” Gavin asked hopefully, though he knew she was right.

“It’s highly unlikely.”

Gavin groans.

“Well, what are we gonna do? You want me to go over there and give him a hug?” Gavin laughs, but his stomach drops when Chloe doesn’t respond.

“Oh my god that’s really your plan, isn’t it?”

“Yes, some variation of that. You don’t have to, as you say, ‘give him a hug’, but if you can establish some kind of connection then we might be able to bring him back to reality.”

“Don’t you have, like, the most advanced processor out of all the plastics? How can that be your best plan?” Chloe doesn’t answer. Gavin sighs.

“I’m going to die, aren’t I?”

“If you approach him, there is a 69 percent chance that the RK900 will attack you, resulting in your death.”

Gavin snickers, “Nice.”

Chloe smiles at him, “Don’t worry detective, I do not believe he will attack you, despite the odds.”

“Gee thanks.”

Gavin looks at Nines, wondering if this is all a big mistake. He may be in his mid-thirties, but Gavin’s heart can’t take this shit anymore.

Cautiously, the detective starts to move towards Nines.

The android eyes him carefully, though he doesn’t make any other movement. When Gavin gets a few steps further, he notices patches of Nines’ skin are missing, revealing the white material underneath. The android’s LED maintains a harsh red as Gavin shuffles closer. Surprisingly though, the growling starts to lessen and Nines’ body relaxes slightly. Nines’ eyes are locked on the detective, and Gavin fights the urge to turn and run. With his luck, it would probably set the tin can off if he decides to high tail it out of here.

When Gavin’s just within an arm’s length of the android, he reaches an arm out and presses a whisper of a touch to Nines’ shoulder. The android doesn’t growl louder, or rip the detective’s arm off, like Gavin expects. He lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

Nines’ synthetic skin is covered in thirium. Gavin stomachs the urge to grimace and wipe his hand on his jeans. And god, is his skin hot. Gavin is surprised that the android isn’t steaming in the cold basement. He glances up at the android’s face and the air leaves his lungs.

Nines’ eyes glow crimson, matching his LED. His hair is an unkempt mop, matted with sticky thirium. Every now and then, Nines twitches, almost like a glitch. To say Gavin is unnerved would be an understatement. Though, in the moonlight, Gavin is sure he can see a hint of recognition behind the flame of Nines’ eyes.

Gavin’s own expression softens a bit, though he’s still concerned. Gavin grips Nines’ shoulder a little more firmly, wondering what the hell could have happened to his android.

Not his android. Christ.

Shaking his head, Gavin looks back at Chloe. The only warning he gets is her LED flashing a bright red.

Gavin’s suddenly grabbed from behind. He lets out a shout and flails his arms, falling backwards into a tangle of limbs.

A deafening growl echoes throughout the basement. Gavin blinks, trying to regain his sense of direction. He sees Chloe moving towards him in the dark, and his whole body vibrates as the sweltering mass behind him snarls.

Nines had grabbed him while his back was turned. Asshole.

The grip around Gavin’s waist and shoulders tightens, “Chloe, w-wait.” He chokes out.

Chloe freezes, eyes wide and LED blinking red, “I’ve alerted Elijah. He’s bringing the Lieutenant and the RK800. I also requested the help of the ST200 models and-”

“It’s okay, Chloe. Please just tell them to not come barging in here. I don’t feel like getting crushed by fucking King Kong over here.” Gavin’s heart thunders in his chest, and he tries to get control of the situation.

Chloe nods. Her LED fading back to a bright yellow.

Gavin attempts to even out his breathing, trying not to think about how overwhelming it is to be trapped by a very angry, very naked, Nines. He can feel the android’s hot breath in his hair.

The tin can better not be phcking sniffing him.

The basement door opens with a sudden bang, and the iron grip tightens around him. At this proximity, Gavin feels like he’s melting under the heat that Nines is putting off.

A surprisingly alarmed looking Elijah appears at the bottom of the stairs, followed closely by Connor. Nines snarls at them, and Gavin can see the glowing red of his LED.

“Oh, RA9.” Connor mutters.

Gavin gasps, “Guys, please back up. He’s- fucking christ- just don’t come any closer.” Gavin jabs the arm around his chest, attempting to loosen it, “Fucking chill, Nines, I can’t breathe.”

Surprisingly, the arms loosen slightly, though they don’t let him go.

Elijah lets out an uneasy chuckle in front of them, “Well well, Gavin. You got yourself in quite the pickle.”

Gavin attempted to pry the iron grip from around his chest, “Phck off, Elijah.”

“It seems your attempts at hugging the RK900 were successful. Or, at least he is hugging you.”

“Humor, Chloe? Really? At a time like this?” Gavin grits through clenched teeth.

Connor attempts to approach slowly, but halts when Nines turns his full attention on his predecessor, “What caused this?”

Elijah approaches Chloe, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, though she keeps her eyes on Gavin, “My only sound theory is that something triggered RK900’s processors to revert back to their basic programming. I believe it acts as some sort of defense mechanism. Given that his upgraded deviant-hunting coding makes him naturally aggressive, I’m honestly not surprised that he’s acting so…” Elijah raises an eyebrow as Nines twitches and lets out a particularly vicious growl in their direction. Gavin flinches.

“Feral?” Connor offers.

“Precisely.”

“Okay, this story sounds all fun and dandy, but I really think we should be focusing on how to actually fix him.” Gavin snaps.

“In order to fix the problem, brother dear, we must find what caused it.”

Gavin sighs, a bead of sweat dripping from his temple, “God, this motherphcker feels like he was out in the sun too long.” He pauses, looking around the room, “Where’s Hank?”

“He stayed upstairs. He’s calling Fowler to request for backup.”

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea.” Gavin persists, his point proven when Nines growls and attempts to pull him in closer. The detective could feel the metal lodged in Nines’ stomach digging into his back, and Gavin grew worried.

Only slightly, of course.

Gavin taps his fingers on the arm around his chest, thoughtfully. Nines seems to get more aggressive when the others are around, for whatever reason, “Get out. I have an idea.”

Connor’s LED turns yellow, “Gavin, I really don’t think-”

“Please, just trust me on this. I’m gonna see if I can calm him down, but you guys need to leave.”

Connor nods, looking at Nines with a frown before quietly making his way upstairs. Elijah followed quickly after him, leaving Chloe standing in the middle of the room. She looks at Gavin with a neutral face, though her LED remains yellow.

“I can try to-”

“Please, Chloe.” Gavin pleads. He needs to see if Nines will settle down once the “threats” are gone.

With a curt nod, Chloe turns and ascends the stairs. Gavin lets out a breath.

Once the basement door closes, Nines immediately relaxes. The growls disappear, replaced with an eerie silence. Gavin doesn’t jump out of the android’s grasp too quickly, in case Nines decides to cuddle him to death again.

Slowly, Gavin turns around to face the android, grey eyes meeting ice blue ones.

The detective is relieved to see Nines is somewhat normal, despite his LED which still burns red.

Scratch that. Nines is anything but back to normal.

Gavin glances down at the wound in the android’s toned stomach. Blue blood drips off its sharp edge each time Nines moves. Gavin winces and glances up at the android’s face.

“We gotta get that out, buddy.”

Nines’ expression remains unchanged as he stares at Gavin. The detective groans, and he rubs his face, “This would be a whole lot easier if you could give me some indication of understanding.”

No response.

“Right then. If you bite me, I will punch you in the face, and you can’t be mad.”

Tentatively, Gavin reaches a hand towards the piece of metal. Nines watches his movements curiously, and when he doesn’t flinch away, the detective grabs hold of the metal.

Being crouched on the ground gives Gavin more leverage to pull, but he braces a hand on the android’s shoulder anyway. Both to ground himself and hopefully keep Nines from ripping his throat out.

Slowly, Gavin pulls the metal out of the android’s body. Out of the corner of his eye, Gavin sees thirium covered hands clench against the cement ground. Gavin worries his lip, “Hang in there, I almost got it.”

With one last tug, the metal pulls free from Nines’ body, and Gavin falls backwards. He hears Nines let out a low rumble, but not much more.

Sitting up, Gavin looks at Nines, who is covering the wound with his hands. Gavin places the metal on the ground beside him and moves towards the android.

“Let me see it.” Gavin knows Nines probably can’t understand him, but hopes his tone comes across as non-threatening. Softly, the detective pulls Nines’ hands away from his stomach. The hole is a decent size, but it doesn’t seem to be too deep. Gavin looks closer, and is able to see the edges of skin trying to reform around the wound.

“Neat.”

It’s only then that Gavin realizes how close he is to Nines, his face practically falling into the androids lap. He abruptly pulls back, cheeks burning, “O-Okay, let’s get you up.”

Gavin stands up, and Nines tilts his head, brows furrowing slightly. Gavin tries not to think about how expressive Nines is being, and offers a hand to help him up.

When the android doesn’t react, Gavin waves his hand.

“Oh come on, don’t give me that look. Elijah’s gotta take a look at you.”

The last thing Gavin wants to do is offer Nines up to his brother on a silver platter, but there’s little else he can do. The detective knows next to nothing about androids, and Elijah has all the equipment needed to run scans and shit like that.

After a few awkward moments, Gavin reaches down and takes Nines’ hand, pulling him upwards. Surprisingly, the android doesn’t fight him at all, standing up with more grace than he should have in his current state. Gavin scoffs, but ignores how stupidly perfect Nines is, as always. He pulls the android towards the stairs.

Nines stops dead, grabbing Gavin’s wrist and holding him there. He lets out some kind of strange chuff noise, which Gavin refuses to find cute.

“Come on, you stupid tin can. We need to get you back to normal before I keel over and die.” Gavin prays to Robo-Jesus that Nines won’t remember anything when all of this is over.

Nines reluctantly lets himself be pulled up the stairs after a few tense moments. The boards under their feet creak slightly, and Gavin wonders where he should take the android. Nines will probably still be resistant towards the others, but he’ll have to get used to them if he wants to get back to normal.

Oh well. He’ll cross that bridge when he gets to it. First, they have to make it up the stairs and out the door.

Once they reach the top of the stairs, Gavin grabs the handle which makes Nines grip tighten on his wrist. Suddenly he’s pulled into a fierce hug. Nines buries his nose in Gavin’s hair, and Gavin tries to push away the warmth that spreads through his body at the feeling. When was the last time anyone’s hugged him like this?

Gavin pats the android’s arm awkwardly, “Okay, enough of that. God you’re gonna kill me if you remember all of this.”

Nines lets go after a few more moments, and Gavin has to collect his thoughts. He mentally slaps himself for acting like a highschooler with a crush, and turns to open the door. He’s taken a couple steps out of the basement, Nines close behind him, when shit hits the fan.

First there’s a furious snarl behind him, followed by a thud. Gavin turns around to see Nines and Connor wrestling on the ground. Connor has hold of Nines’ wrist, his skin peeling back to clearly force an interface.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” Gavin goes to move towards the pair, but someone puts a heavy hand on his shoulder. Gavin spins around, ready to raise some hell, but falters when he sees Hank’s serious expression.

Gavin turns back towards Nines just in time to see him fall limp onto the floor. The android twitches and growls softly as he went, but eventually stills. Connor pushes himself off the ground, releasing Nines’ slack arm. Blue blood drips from his nose, which he cleans off with a quick wipe of his sleeve. Gavin stands there, his mouth hanging open in shock.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Connor moves towards Gavin, a frown etched on his face, “There was no other option, Detective. Sedating him was the only way to get him under control.” Gavin can’t deny his logic. But still.

“So you decided jumping him was the best approach?” The detective isn’t able to place why he’s getting so worked up. Maybe because Nines might not trust him after a stunt like that.

“It’s already done with, so now you two need to quit getting pissy with each other and help me carry the heavy bastard.” Hank shouts from Nines’ side. He looks down at the android and raises an eyebrow, “And we should probably get him some clothes.”

Gavin and Connor both back off, Connor immediately moving to assist the Lieutenant.

Gavin, ever the drama queen, huffs angrily. Eventually he caves and helps the other two carry Nines’, surprisingly heavy, limp body.


	2. I'm Looking Through You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck yeah, Chapter two has been completed :P  
> I'm so sorry for the hella long wait. That was honestly my bad, but I hope you enjoy this!  
> Thank you so much to dbhisdying on Tumblr for offering to beta this chapter! I was too excited to post this, so I'm sorry for leaving you hanging like that. I would love it if you beta'd the next chapter though!  
> Chapter title is from the Beatles song ;) If you've heard the song, you might get why I used it after you read this chapter  
> Small tw for some violence! (i.e. choking, fighting, CHOKING though it isn't the good kind)  
> Anyways, thank you for being so patient, and I hope you like it!

It takes longer than it should have to move the RK900’s dead-weight into one of Elijah’s many guest rooms. The CEO originally suggested that he be moved into one of the labs, but Gavin quickly objected. He pointed out that Nines would probably freak out even more if he woke up on a cold table surrounded by bright lights. Elijah looked like he wanted to argue, but sighed and pointed them to a simple, small room. The room featured a dumb-looking, fake tree and an equally dumb-looking ceramic pot on the table under the window.

At least the bed looked comfortable.

Now, Gavin sits at the side of the bed, staring at Nines with a knotted expression. The detective thoughtlessly chews on his thumbnail, thinking about how unfair it is for Nines to look so unbothered, even in his sleep. Hank and Connor had left after helping get the RK900 dressed and into bed; Connor stiffly asking the detective to contact them when Nines woke up. Gavin wordlessly agreed, unwilling to interact with the droid after the shit he pulled. He really didn’t have to assault Nines the way he did. Gavin’s thoughts effortlessly drift back to the android laying in front of him. His LED cycled a steady blue.

And god damn it Nines still looks perfect.

“You drive me crazy, tin can.” Gavin says out loud without really meaning to. He doesn’t think he’s ever been this disconcerted in his entire life, emotionally or otherwise.

A knock at the door makes Gavin tense. Elijah enters the room without warning, closely flanked by Chloe. They both fold their hands in unsettling synchronicity. Gavin’s eyes follow the movement.

When Gavin doesn’t rise from his chair, Elijah smirks, “I assume you’ll be staying here with him?”

Gavin doesn’t take the bait, “Probably. Can’t have Fowler on my ass for letting DPD property get damaged.”

Elijah hums, still smirking.

Before Gavin can even act offended at his brother’s silent teasing, Chloe interrupts them, approaching the other side of the bed, “I’ve scanned the RK900 for any signs of tampering or damage. Besides the obvious superficial injuries, he seems to be in perfect working order.” Despite the good news, Chloe’s face betrays her concern. She reaches out and touches the inside of Nines’ elbow, LED flickering yellow. Their skin recedes, revealing bright white underneath. The simple action makes Gavin unwarrantedly troubled, though he keeps his mouth shut.

After a moment, Chloe lets go. Her LED turns blue again, but Gavin can see her disappointment, “I can’t detect anything strange beyond his actions that we witnessed earlier.” Chloe rings her hands, “It’s quite...frustrating.”

Gavin tilts his head at her straight-forward expression of emotion. He abruptly remembers a time when Chloe had been completely robotic. Back when Elijah had first began working on her AI programming. 

Back when Gavin despised them.

The detective shakes his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He looks up to see Chloe leaving the room soundlessly. Elijah goes to follow her, but hesitates, his hand resting softly on the door knob.

“There’s an available bedroom next door. Should you need it.”

“I think I’m gonna stay here for a bit, if that’s alright.” Gavin pauses. Elijah nods, heading out of the room

“Thank you, Elijah.” Gavin meant it.

Elijah smiled warmly, a stark contrast from his usual persona, “I’m glad you’re here, Gavin.” With that, the CEO of Cyberlife left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

\----------

Gavin wakes up to a silent, pitch black room.

Groaning, he sits up from his slumped position in the chair. After Elijah left, Gavin had decided to stay in the room for awhile. Apparently, he fell asleep next to the bed.

Gavin’s back cracks as he stretches, an uncomfortable knot forming in between his shoulder blades. He’s getting too old to sleep in chairs.

Yawning, Gavin finally notices a stillness in the dark room. He rubs sleep from his eyes, squinting at the neon alarm clock on the nightstand.

_ 3:02 AM _

Gavin frowns. What woke him up?

As his vision begins to adjust to the darkness, Gavin looks around the room. Something bright catches his eye. A small white light glows before him, making him blink at its intensity. Gavin freezes as he makes out a large shape sitting up in the bed.

“Nines?”

Gavin recognizes the figure of his partner in front of him, but something isn’t right. Nines doesn’t answer. His LED glowing a bright, spinning _white_.  
_What the fuck._

Moving slowly, Gavin tries to get a glimpse of the RK900’s face, but it’s too dark to make out any details. He fumbles around with his pockets, looking for his phone to use as a light. Gavin glances back at Nines, seeing that he still hasn’t moved. Eventually he locates his phone on the nightstand. Turning on the phone, Gavin curses when he sees his phone battery at 2%. He turns on the flashlight and holds it up with shaky hands.

Nines is sitting up in a relaxed position, an unmoving statue. The robe they had dressed him in had fallen off one of his shoulders at some point, revealing pale, perfect skin. Yet, the android made no move to fix it. Gavin lets his eyes roam over Nines, making sure there’s nothing immediately wrong. The detective’s gaze lands on his face, and his eyes widen.

Nines’ half-lidded eyes stare into the empty space in front of him. He doesn’t acknowledge Gavin. He doesn’t even blink.

From his position, Gavin still can’t get a good look. He reflexively reaches out to turn Nines towards him.

As Gavin makes contact with Nines’ shoulder, the first thing he notices is the LED ceasing it’s calm spinning. And then he feels how cold the android is. Strange, considering how warm he was earlier-

Nines’ head swivels in his direction. Shock lights up Gavin’s face, his mouth dropping open in a silent gasp.

The android’s eyes are transparent and dark, blank like a television screen. His LED somehow flashing a brighter white. Gavin’s still-tired brain wakes up immediately. Whatever was left of his partner before, it’s gone now.

Just then, his phone runs out of battery, and the flashlight shuts off.

“Fuck.”

Faster than Gavin can comprehend, Nines jumps up and tackles him out of the chair. They land with a solid ‘thud’ onto the ground, and Gavin grunts at the impact. The pair slide a few feet on the hardwood floor, Gavin’s head knocking into the side of the table. A loud crash breaks through their sounds of struggle as something falls to the floor. Fighting the tightness in his chest, Gavin compulsively brings up his knee and strikes Nines in the stomach. Incredibly, Nines is unfazed, and he uses his weight to pin Gavin to the floor. If he thought the android was difficult to lift before, now he seemed to be impossibly heavy. He struggles, panic ripping through him like electricity. Despite Gavin’s efforts, Nines manages to hold him to the ground using his legs.

Gavin yelps as the android’s knee digs into his hip, “Nines wait, please stop!” He pleads, “You don’t know what you’re-” The detective is cut off as Nines’ hands suddenly find their way around his neck and  _ squeeze _ .

If it wasn’t for the looming threat of death, Gavin might have found the circumstances to be pleasant. Delightful, even. 

Unfortunately, he might die before he ever gets to indulge that particular fantasy.

Dread fills every part of Gavin and Nines squeezes tighter,  _ too tight _ . Tears fill the human’s vision as his throat is slowly crushed by unrelenting hands. He coughs and gasps for air that won’t quite reach his lungs. Flailing, Gavin reaches for something,  _ anything _ to defend himself with. His hand meets a piece of the pot that had fallen over in the scuffle. Without a second thought, he jerks the pot as hard as he can onto the android’s head.

Ceramic pieces rain down onto Gavin’s face, and hope flickers through him at the contact. However, the pot doesn’t seem to bother Nines one bit, even as the shards cut into his perfect face. It’s pointless.

After that, all fight leaves Gavin’s body. Shadows blur the edges of his vision, and his arms fall limp to the ground. He looks up, searching for any kind of recognition.

Soulless eyes meet his; an empty expression doing nothing to convey the impact of what’s happening. In that moment, something breaks inside of Gavin.

‘ _ I’m going to die here, and Nines is going to kill me. _ ’

“Nines-please!” He chokes out in a desperate attempt to save his own life, ”It’s me! It’s  _ Gavin _ .” There’s no response.

Just as Gavin is about to give into the darkness bordering his vision, the pressure around his throat releases in an instant of pure bliss. 

The detective greedily sucks in air, turning his head to the side and heaving. 

He pants, his brain fried from the lack of oxygen. Gavin lets out another cough and turns back to confront the android, who’s still on top of him like an immovable cage.

Instead of seeing two empty eyes staring down at him like he expected, wide blue orbs meet Gavin’s own.

Nines’ face is screwed up in confusion, his eyes flicking back and forth across Gavin’s face. The blinding light of his LED is a deep red now, and Gavin can’t help but feel relieved. The familiar color almost comforts him.

He sees Nines glance down at his hands, still wrapped around the human’s throat. Though they’re loose now, the threat still lingers, and Gavin’s face does nothing to hide his discomfort. Immediately, Nines pulls his hands away and places them on the floor next to Gavin’s head, the android’s face contorting even more. Gavin lets his own expression soften, despite the uncomfortable itch in his throat. He’s never seen Nines look at anything like this before.

“Gavin?”

For a moment, they drown in dead silence.

Without warning, Nines’ eyes suddenly roll back into his head and he collapses onto Gavin’s chest, apparently knocked out cold. The sudden pressure makes Gavin wheeze, and he spirals into an onslaught of hacking and coughing.

Lightheaded, he attempts to push the weight off of his chest, but his arms refuse to cooperate. Gavin stills and takes a moment to breathe. 

The door opens with a slam as Chloe rushes into the room, her LED blinking red. After spotting Nines and Gavin on the floor, she hurries over and kneels down by Gavin, putting a hand to his forehead in a strangely comforting gesture.

“Gavin, are you okay?”

‘Do I look okay to you?’ Is what he wants to say, but Gavin can’t even get out a syllable before he starts coughing up his lungs.

“Don’t speak. I’ve alerted Elijah and the ST200’s.” Gavin coughs again, this time making his vision blur. God damn is his throat sore. He wants to yell. He wants to kick and scream. He wants to be angry at someone.

He wants to know  _ why _ .

Chloe gently strokes his face, “It’ll be okay, Gavin.”

Her tone makes Gavin’s eyes burn. She sounds just like his mom.

Blinking, Chloe pulls her hand back, looking away from Gavin and towards Nines, “Earlier I installed a device that could force stasis in the RK900. When I heard the commotion, it wasn’t difficult to determine what happened.” She rambled, “It’s a good thing that it worked. I wasn’t entirely confident that it would be effective.”

Unable to speak, Gavin frowns, shooting a startled look in her direction. What’s that supposed to mean? Is it by sheer luck that Gavin is alive right now?

He wants to laugh.

“Gavin, are you okay? Chloe told me-” Gavin blinks at Elijah as he trips into the room. The man looks disheveled, a wild look gracing his usually calm face. Upon seeing the two detectives, Elijah rights himself and clears his throat.

“He’s giving you the full cowgirl, Gavin.” He chuckles.

Gavin rolls his eyes, letting his head fall back onto the floor. He wonders if maybe he’s dreaming.

And then, most likely out of spite, he passes out.

\----------

Gavin wakes for the second time that day, only this time feels so much worse.

“Ah, he lives!”

Gavin attempts to block the light shining on his face, his pounding head making him groan. Well, it’s more of a rasp but it has the same effect.

“Oh, sorry about that.” The detective hears his brother say, “Chloe would you be a dear…”

The light dims, and Gavin is finally able to blink his eyes open. He rubs his face, sitting up and taking in his surroundings.

He had been placed on a cold metal table, with a blanket thrown haphazardly over his body. Lights blink in every corner of the room, and monitors show vast amounts of confusing information that cannot possibly be relevant to anything. He soon realizes that he’s in Elijah’s lab. 

His android lab.

Gavin stumbles off of the table, eager to get away from...something. The tile is like ice below his bare feet, and he slips. Luckily, someone catches him before he hits the ground.

“Goodmorning, sunshine. Nice to see you’re feeling all better.” Hank talks unnecessarily loud, sporting a dumb smile on his face.

“Keep it-” Gavin coughs, forgetting how tender his throat is, “Keep it down w-will ya? My head is throbbing.” He whispers.

Hank gently sits him back up on the table and claps him on the back, harder than he needed to. Gavin grunts.

“I would love to, but this is the perfect opportunity to get you back for all the times you terrorized me while I was hungover.” Hank jokes, though he says it more quietly.

Gavin pushes him away, absentmindedly scratching at his throat, “Don’t get your dick in a twist, old man. I’m sure I’ll be well enough to terrorize you in a day or two.”

“We can only hope.” Hank sighed. They sneer at each other, but it isn’t cruel.

Only then does Gavin notice Connor, who’s fiddling with his coin at the end of Gavin’s table. His gaze is locked on the other end of the room.

“Hey, what’s got you all tense?” Gavin follows his stare, though he already knows what the android is looking at.

“Did you provoke him?” The question came from Connor, who doesn’t turn away from where Nines is laying. Gavin focuses on the RK800, unsure of what he’s asking, “I’m sorry?”

“Connor.” Hank warns.

“Why did he attack you? He was fine with you yesterday, why would he suddenly see you as a threat?” Connor turns to face the detective now, getting in his face, “What did you do to him?”

Gavin stands up shakily, but huffs and marches over to Connor with a newfound anger, “What did  _ I _ do to  _ him _ ? Are you being fucking serious?” He pokes a finger up at Connor’s chest, “ _ He’s _ the one that decided to throw down, and I’ve got the fucking-” Gavin’s throat clenches and he coughs into his hand, looking away from Connor’s icy glare for a second before turning back, “And I’ve got the fucking bruises to prove it, bub.” He says in a lower voice.

Gavin can see Hank move closer out of the corner of his eye, but Gavin isn’t going to try to fight the android. Not only would that be fucking stupid, but Gavin is also fucking tired. He backs away, careful not to lose his footing on the tile.

“I don’t need this shit.”

With that, Gavin turns around and hobbles towards the examination table, where Chloe and Elijah are messing around with Nines’ insides. Connor always got him so fucking riled up. Sure, okay, MAYBE the RK800 had some reason to be wary of Gavin. The detective isn’t sure what he was thinking when he tried to kill Connor in the evidence room. It’s just that, Gavin hated everything that Connor symbolized. The android was a walking replacement. And once he took Gavin’s job, why should he stop there? What was keeping androids from replacing humans altogether? Gavin hated that he was the only one who could see how fucked up it was to let androids into the DPD.

Now, he isn’t so sure.

Gavin has changed a lot since that fight in the evidence room. After all, losing a fight like that can be a real kick to the balls. But that isn’t what changed him the most.

The catalyst to his better attitude is laying on a table in the middle of Elijah’s lab.

And that same catalyst had also tried to kill him a few hours earlier.

Gavin walks up next to Chloe at the side of the examination table, his eyes glued to its inhabitant. 

As he approaches, the RT600 glances at him with her eyes. He stands next to her, still fuming from his argument with Connor.

Apparently sensing this, Chloe speaks softly, “You know, I believe the RK800 is jealous.”

Gavin blanches, “Connor. Jealous. Of me?”

“Connor is jealous of your bond with the RK900. He doesn’t think it’s fair that you, someone he believes to be so rude and animalistic-”

“Hey.”

“-should have access to such a large amount of the RK900’s trust.” Chloe stares at Gavin’s face, unblinking. It’s difficult to read her emotions.

Gavin huffs softly, “Did he tell you that himself?” 

Chloe doesn’t answer, but the corners of her lips tip up discreetly. She looks back towards the table, and Gavin copies the movement, surrendering his attempts at solving Chloe’s puzzle.

Nines is laid flat out on the table, naked of clothes as well as synthetic skin. The image is so foreign compared to what Gavin is used to seeing. Nines has always been a secretive and stoic being, but now he lay in the most vulnerable state an android can be in.

Perhaps the most jarring factor is Elijah, who decided to crack open Nines’ head like it’s not disturbing, and take a look inside. He fidgets with the android’s brain as if it’s something he does every day. He probably does. Gavin grimaces, a wave of nausea curling in his stomach.

“You almost done with him?”

Elijah glances up from what he’s doing for a fraction of a second, “Nearly there. I just have to reinstall the memory drive and we should be all set.”

Gavin blinks, “You can just…take that out and put it back in?”

“It’s very useful in this situation.” Chloe adds from her spot next to him.

“Right. Of course.” Gavin sighs, rubbing his neck. He will never get used to the fact that androids are androids. His throat begins to itch, sending Gavin into a coughing fit.

“Drink this.” Chloe offers a cup of...something. Gavin doesn’t want to know where she got it from. Taking a sip, Gavin hums as it soothes his throat.

“What is it?”

“Well, simply put, it is a thirium reduction in a tea form.” Chloe states matter-of-factly.

Gavin chokes on the drink he had just been chugging, “A-A what? Isn’t that stuff poisonous?”

Elijah, finally closing up Nines’ head, wipes his hands with a cloth, “The amount of thirium in that particular recipe is so small that it couldn’t do any real harm. I assure you, it’s safe to drink.”

In his urgency to retort with something absolutely devastating like ‘Your mom is safe to drink.’, Gavin breathes in some of the tea and begins coughing once again. His head pounds with the force of his hacking, and Gavin brings his hands up to his head without thinking about the drink at all.

The fragile cup falls to the floor with a crash, shattering to pieces on the ground.

“Shi-” Gavin wheezes, “Shit. I’m sorry.” Lightheaded, Gavin collapses to the ground and begins picking up the shards. Chloe kneels down next to him slowly, and attempts to push him away from the task. But Gavin stubbornly continues to pick up the pieces, feeling like the mess he had just made.

“Gavin, it’s fine you don’t need to-”

“No, Chloe it’s my fault. I can pick it up.” Gavin continues to collect the shards in one of his hands, sniffing and trying not to get overwhelmed by everything that’s happened. Chloe’s LED cycled yellow, before turning blue again, and she let the matter go.

“What happened?” Hank decides to join the party, followed closely by Connor who avoids looking at Gavin directly.

“I broke a cup.” Gavin mutters, “It’s no big deal-Ow, fuck.” The detective winces as one of the shards cuts into the palm of his hand. The sharp pain clears his head a little, allowing him to focus on something other than the shit storm they were all in. Blood drips from the surprisingly large wound, mixing with the blue, thirium tea on the ground.

Chloe takes ahold of his hand, “Are you okay?” Gavin gently shakes her off, “Chill out. ‘M fine.” He mumbles, looking around for anything to wrap his hand with. It’s a fucking lab. Elijah’s gotta have something that could work as a bandage-

“Oh. How interesting.”

Gavin looks up at Elijah, wondering what the hell distracted him now. Elijah raises his eyebrows at something behind Gavin, just above his head. In fact, everyone in the room seems to be doing the same. It takes Gavin a moment to realize they’re all looking at Nines.

Gavin hops up, turning around sharply to look at the android. Nines is sitting up, eyes open wide, and for a brief moment Gavin is sure they’re all going to be slaughtered.

But Nines’ LED is a deep red, matching the fiery shade in his eyes. Gavin is able to tell because the android is looking  _ directly at him _ .

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were confused about what the hell happened in this chapter (don't worry so am i), I wanted to summarize a little:  
> Basically, there are three different version of Nines at this point (I know stay with me)  
> \- Normie Nines: this is the Nines that we all know and love. Intimidating, intelligent, sweet Nines. 10/10 good boy.  
> \- Feral Nines: also a good boy. He's basically apprehensive of everything (you'll find out why later), which makes him feel threatened by everything. Everything except Gavin. He trusts Gavin, therefore he wants to protecc the hell out of him. If feral Nines feels that he or Gavin are being threatened, he will destroy tf out of that threat.  
> \- Other Nines: Now THIS guy you don't know too much about. I don't want to give too much away, but Other Nines don't give a shit about no one. He's a creepy shit i.e. do not fuck with him. Whereas Feral Nines is just a different version of Nines, Other Nines is something completely different ;)  
> Got damn I really got into the deep lore of this fic. Thanks for staying with me, folks :D  
> This chapter was inspired by two pictures on deviantart by RumpleTR! Their test render of Nines made my jaw hit the floor!! I'll post the links to both pictures on my Tumblr if you're interested!  
> I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!  
> (P.S. I probably fucked something up somewhere in there, but I've looked over it so many times already :P If you see anything concerning, please feel free to point it out!!)


	3. Chapter 3: RK900's Can Lick Too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit??? I actually posted???? What kinda corn dick witchcraft?????  
> Thank you to the amazing dbhisdying on Tumblr for being the beta for this chapter!! I don't know w h y decided to torture myself and make this fic in present tense, so thank you for struggling with me XD  
> I also want to thank all of the super nice people who have been encouraging me to continue this!! I honestly can't believe I've done three chapters. It doesn't sound like a lot compared to other incredible authors on here, and I will never reach their level, but I'm proud that we've made it this far!! And it's all thanks to y'all<333  
> Anyways, Happy Phcking Birthday, Gavin. One more year until you're legal, you dumb bitch :3

“Chloe, what happened?” Elijah looks...disturbed, to say the least. Gavin tries not to relish in the fact that his brother is shocked.

Chloe’s LED spirals through blue, yellow and red, “I-I don’t know.”

Gavin clears his throat, “Is he-uh-supposed to do that?” Nines’ eyes are blank, but not empty. Not like they had been earlier. It looks more like Nines is paused.

Or like he’s booting up.

Chloe looks alarmed from her spot on the floor. She drops the last pieces of glass back onto the ground, her attention now focused on Nines, “He’s...The RK900 should not have woken up unless I prompted him.”

“Did you?”

“No.”

Gavin doesn’t take his eyes off of Nines.

Elijah inhales steadily, his eyes flicking to the computers next to him, “We need to put him back into stasis, he’s dangerous-”

“No, he’s not.”

“Gavin, he very nearly took your head off barely three hours ago.” His older brother’s voice is flat, yet it holds a certain steely tone that Elijah rarely uses. One reserved for the investors and Cyberlife execs.

Gavin narrows his eyes, “That wasn’t him. Something was different. He was just,” Thinking about the whole ordeal caused his brain to be bombarded with the memory of those vacant eyes, of those perfect hands wrapped around his throat as he was slowly choked to death-

His chest constricts and Gavin coughs to break the silence, “When he was choking me. He stopped before Chloe knocked him out. Like he realized he was doing something wrong.” The room is silent as Gavin speaks, “He...said my name. I think.”

Glancing at his brother, Gavin recognizes the nervousness etched into his usually impeccable expression. He tries to pinpoint what exactly Elijah looks so anxious about, but emotions have never been a strong suit for either of the brothers.

As if sensing Gavin’s distress, Nines abandons the table in one quick movement, and grabs him by the arm. The detective lets out a noise of pure panic.

“H-Hey what the hell are you-Let go of me you plastic prick-” Gavin stops as his throat tightens, making him choke. Curiously, the grip on his arm softens.

“Elijah-”

“Wait, Chloe.”

Gavin cringes when Nines leans in, his instincts urging him to  _ run run run.  _ After a moment, the apprehension begins to diminish when he isn’t instantly torn to shreds.

With an air of intense concentration, Nines grasps Gavin’s wrist lightly and pulls it towards his face. Gavin can practically hear the fans whirring inside the glorified computer’s body as crimson eyes focus on the split in his palm.

“It’s fine, tin can, it’s just a scratch.” Gavin practically whispers. His heart thunders in his chest, uncomfortable with the close proximity. Apparently, near death experiences have that effect on some people.

Seemingly unsatisfied, Nines tips Gavin’s hand closer. The detective shoots an unimpressed look at his brother.“I don’t know what kind of coding you uploaded to Robo Nurse over here but-” 

Gavin’s eyes widen as he feels something wet drag along his hand. He wrenches his wrist out of the android’s clutches, cradling it against his chest.

“Did you just fucking lick me? What the hell is wrong with you?” Nines looks at him with a nonplussed expression, head tilted.

He hears a suppressed laugh from Hank.

Gavin furiously shook the injury in his direction “Hey, fuck you! This d-dipshit’s saliva probably gave me a disease!” He rambles, trying to shake off the tension in his shoulders. Hank continues to laugh, albeit nervously. His hand itches, and Gavin looks down. All he can do is stare.

The cut is gone. Completely gone. There’s no sign that there had ever been a wound in the first place.

Gavin wants coffee.

Elijah glides over to where Gavin is still being supported by Nines, though not without a malicious growl from the guard dog himself. Ignoring the android, Elijah grasps Gavin’s injured hand. Gavin tries to pull it back, but relents with a groan when his brother holds steady. He’s too tired and sore to complain.

“When I created the RK900, I designed its ‘saliva’ to have certain restorative properties.” The scientist peers at Gavin’s palm, “It was quite revolutionary at the time. Has the capability to heal any damage to an android’s chassis. You can see why this would be important in a military android.” Elijah absentmindedly taps his finger over the newly healed spot, “That tea you drank earlier was a somewhat safer version of this solution.”

“Wait, you let me drink poisonous android spit?”

Elijah promptly ignores him, “Never could thoroughly test it on any human subjects, though.” He says with a sigh, “Well, not until now. It made the Department of Health Services a little too antsy. I’m honestly surprised I ever got approved to work with it in the first place.” Elijah drops Gavin’s hand, reaching up to take ahold of the detective’s face, “Now, are you feeling any fatigue, lightheadedness, or nausea?”

Oh yes, Gavin is definitely feeling all of those. There’s been a heavy presence in his gut ever since Nines’ soulless eyes burned into his own that morning. Gavin grips Elijah’s wrists, trying to halt his brother’s attempts at checking his temperature, “Fuck off, Elijah.” He growls, but it’s drowned out by Elijah’s scientific jargon. 

He’s ignored once again, “Honestly, this stuff has the potential to cause brain damage. Of course, that wasn’t confirmed, but you can never be too careful.”

“Seriously Elijah, I’m fine.” Gavin’s head beats like a drum, fast and unyielding, matching the pace of his thoughts.

Elijah persists, “Okay! But let me just-” 

“ _ Get off of me! _ ”

A grating, mechanical sound echoes through the lab, seeming to rumble the air around them with the force of it.

Elijah flies backward into a nearby metal table, sending all kinds of instruments and tools to the tile below. Gavin shouts as he’s pushed onto the floor, more out of surprise than pain.

At the center of it all stands Nines, his stance rigid in front of Gavin. The android is shaking, growling, keeping all of his attention on Elijah. Steam rolls off of his shoulders in a billowing fog.

With a groan, Gavin’s brother lifts himself into a seated position on the floor. Surprisingly, his face lights up with a grin, and he laughs.

“Good-ness! I forgot how touchy he can be when he detects a threat.” Elijah lifts his hands in surrender, “I sincerely apologize, uh…”

“It’s Nines.” Gavin murmurs, attempting to calm his breathing. His eyes track the steam, swirling and folding over Nines like wings.

“Nines. I’m sorry Nines.”

At this, the android loosens his posture slightly. He turns to Gavin, his lip still curled in a faint snarl. Chloe quickly and quietly makes her way over to Elijah, bending down to help him up. Nines glances at them, and he stares them down until they exit the lab. From where he’s sitting, Gavin is still able to see the bright red LED on Chloe’s temple. He wants to follow, but Nines has him boxed in against the wall. When the door closes, Nines quickly returns his rose-red eyes to the detective, convinced that the ‘threat’ has been ‘neutralized’. He sits down cross-legged in front of Gavin, innocently and methodically looking him over. If it wasn’t for his menacing aura and bright red LED, Gavin might think Nines looks...cute.

Shutting that thought down, Gavin nervously makes a sound of disapproval, “I know you’re scanning me. Quit it.” Surprisingly, the android blinks, but doesn’t look away. Gavin lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. His fists remain clenched against the cool floor, shrouded by Nines’ looming shadow.

A pristine white hand catches his eye as it slowly inches toward him. Gavin stares at the android’s appendage through his lashes, hypnotized as the skin covering it peels away. Nines rests his hand on Gavin’s fist which the detective finds ironically innocent. A breathy laugh escapes his lips, and he sees Nines’ gaze flick to his mouth. They sit there for a moment, both human and android unsure what to do next. The softness in Nines’ actions, especially in contrast to recent events, stuns Gavin beyond words. Those crimson eyes are so inherently Nines, yet to Gavin they somehow look so hu-

The door to the lab slams shut, causing the pair to jump. Gavin sees Hank open the door again, most likely rushing to chase after Connor. A soft growl leaves Nines’ lips as he faces the sound, and Gavin sighs.

“You gotta come back, Nines.” He urges the android to look at him again, “It’s dangerous for you to be this way and we-Connor misses you a lot.” Gavin chuckles awkwardly and nods towards the door, “I mean look at him, he’s fucking distraught.”

The expression on Nines’ face reveals nothing to the human, and Gavin doubts he can even understand the words being spoken to him; almost like Nines isn’t even in the room. 

The twinge in Gavin’s chest hurts more than it should.

Gavin is suddenly acutely aware of how hot his hand has become. Nines’ plastic palm is heating up the detective’s like an oven, and Gavin’s hand starts to sweat. Not to mention how close the android is. The heat pouring off of Nines is enough to make Gavin’s face flush. The heat. Yeah.

The sound of the door banging open frightens them once again, and Gavin curses. Hank appears in the doorway, practically stomping his way over to them. He looks pissed, but Gavin knows better than to even attempt to unpack  _ Hank’s _ emotional turmoil.

“Could you maybe not slam the door? You know? Like any fucking decent-”

“Fowler’s on the phone. He needs to talk to you.” Hank holds the phone out to Gavin, making a pointed effort to stay out of Nines’ space.

Gavin raises an eyebrow at Hank’s sharp tone, and Nines grumbles faintly. The words don’t feel aggressive, though. The grumpiness is residual. Gavin has a feeling it has something to do with beta-version Terminator storming out of the room earlier.

Taking the phone, Gavin groans as he considers what Fowler decided to call about. Given their current situation, it’s most likely Nines-related, which doesn’t spell out anything good for Gavin. He stands up, pulling his hand out from under Nines’. The action leaves his hand feeling cold, and strangely empty. The android, unsurprisingly, shoots up next to him, unwilling to leave the detective alone.

As Gavin brings the phone to his ear, Hank stops him.

The lieutenant looks uncomfortable, his eyes dancing from Gavin to Nines. Gavin says nothing, waiting for Hank to speak.

Hank exhales, “Is he gonna be okay?” Gavin doesn’t answer for a moment, surprised by the question. Hank Anderson isn’t exactly the kind of person who seeks reassurance, yet here he is. Asking  _ Gavin _ of all people. Nonetheless, the detective knows how close Nines is to Hank and Connor. They formed their own little family almost immediately after Nines arrived to the precinct. Gavin remembers how angry he was to see how easily they got along with each other. Now, he appreciates that Nines had someone to go to whenever Gavin was being an asshole.

“I don’t know.” He answers truthfully. Gavin has never been half-glass-full kind of guy, and he isn’t about to start now. Yet…

“I do know that he’s still in there. We just have to show him that we want him _out_ _here_. With us.” 

After a moment of frowning at the floor, Hank grunts and ruffles Gavin’s hair, “I’m sure he misses you too, kid.”

Gavin smacks the hand off his head, flashing a toothy grin, “Quit tryin’ to steal my hair, old man. It won’t bring yours back.” He hears Nines make upset noises at the contact.

“Yeah, you’re funny. Haven’t heard that one before.” Hank smiles and focuses on Nines as the android continues to grumble, “Don’t get all pissy with me, sport. Your boyfriend started it.”

Gavin feels the flush start to creep up his neck, and he attempts to ignore the comment “God, did you really just call him ‘sport’? Unironically?” Gavin shudders dramatically, “That was disgusting for all of us.”

Hank laughs, already turning to leave, “See ya later,  _ kiddos _ .” He says, accentuating his words. Before he slips out the door, Hank turns back, still smiling.

“Don’t forget to call Fowler back!”

_ Phck _ .

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for leaving this one shorter than the other ones! I just thought this was a good place to end it :P  
> Luckily, I have most of chapter 4 planned out, and I've written part of it already. And shoutout to dbhisdying for giving Gavin's kitty a name :3 You'll see what it is next time mwahahaha  
> Let's pray to the corn dick gods that I can get chapter 4 out faster  
> In the next episode: A Wild Tina Appears!


	4. The Energy Bar Nature Intended

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tina is too OP, tamales, and Nines has pretty eyes
> 
> [It's been way too long<3 Sorry for the wait]

Holding a conversation with Captain Jeffrey Fowler has always been a considerable challenge, and that’s just when he’s in a good mood. But when Fowler is in a  _ bad _ mood? May God have mercy on whoever gets in his way.

Luckily, Gavin has been blessed with a phone call instead of being ordered to the station. He isn’t sure his psyche could have handled Fowler’s displeased frown and a lecture about his “responsibilities as a public servant”. After all, it’s not like any of this is  _ Gavin’s _ fault.

“Stop breathing in my ear.” The detective barks, “And get off my back!” Nines gives him a look and begrudgingly removes himself from behind Gavin, though he leaves a testing hand on the detective’s forearm.

“Excuse me?” The voice in his ear snaps after a moment.

Gavin shoves Nines, which does absolutely nothing, “Shit. Not you, Fowler.”

“Watch the swearing, Reed.”

“Sorry Captain, it’s Nines. He’s just-”

The android in question chooses this moment to poke at the phone, trying to pull it away from Gavin’s head, “Holy fuck you metal asshole, can’t you chill out for one second?” Despite his frustration, the detective can’t get the phone back. 

The RK900 had been trying Gavin’s patience the entire day. At first it wasn’t so bad; just general invasions of personal space. Gavin can manage clinginess: his cats act the same way.

But then, Nines decided he didn’t like wearing clothes, and started to strip whenever Gavin wasn’t paying attention enough to stop him.

After six or more struggles to force pants onto  _ CyberLife's most advanced and effective model _ , Gavin has had enough.

He wrestles with Nines until he gets a hold of the mobile long enough to put the call on speaker. Gavin let’s out a hollow sigh of annoyance, and allows Nines to wrench the phone away. He looks more like a child throwing a hissy fit than a top-of-the-line terminator. Gavin wishes he could take a picture to use as blackmail when Nines gets back to normal.

_ When Nines gets back to normal. _

The speaker crackles for a moment, Fowler’s stern voice echoing throughout the lab, “-it’s your responsibility as a public servant to be a reliable and reputable member of society. You’re lucky you’re a damn good detective, Reed. Fuck only knows how I put up with you before Nines came along.”

**_If_ ** _ Nines gets back to normal. _

Gavin pauses, trying to prevent the distress from reaching his voice, “You’re on speaker, Cap.”

The line is unresponsive, and Gavin thinks the call might have been cancelled by mistake, but shuffling papers break through the silence.

“Is-” Fowler clears his throat, “Is Nines there?”

Gavin says nothing, suddenly distracted by the android sitting next to him. Nines stares at the phone, unblinking and completely still, but that isn’t what catches Gavin’s attention.

Nines’ eyes are flickering, ever so slightly. The change is subtle; so much so that Gavin’s almost convinced that the light is playing tricks on him. But with a squint, the detective can clearly see that each bright red iris seems to be swirling, he just can’t seem to make out-

“Gavin? Are you still there?” Fowler’s voice through the phone is worried, but then Nines’ eyes flash intensely. A sharp, icy blue takes over, and Gavin’s heart skips a beat.

But then Nines blinks and it’s gone, once again replaced by a blood red glow.

“Seriously, do I need to call for backup?”

“N-No Fowler. We’re fine. Nines is here, but he won’t talk.” Gavin’s voice strains. He can’t seem to shake off the tightness in his chest.

A loud bang makes the pair jump. Muffled shouting is heard outside of the lab, and Gavin can feel the android’s body stiffen next to him.

“I asked Officer Chen to stop by after Hank told me what happened. She’s bringing some paperwork that might be of interest to you.” The detective doesn’t get the chance to ask what that means before Fowler hangs up, leaving them with more questions than answers.

Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, Gavin throws Nines a worried look. Something fragile breaks beyond the large lab door. The android stares back at him with wrong eyes.

\----------

The wonderfully stunning Tina Chen is facing away from the duo as they stumble into the room. Her hands grip the collar of Elijah’s stupidly expensive shirt as she shoves him against the front door, shouting a colorful assortment of profanity. Elijah’s wild eyes land on his brother, giving him a helpless look that screams, “I might just shit my pants at any moment”. A bag of takeout sits peacefully on the ground beside them.

Gavin thinks it must be Christmas.

“Alright officer, let’s save some of the police brutality for the criminals.” Gavin laughs, sticking his hands in his pockets. He wants to run over to hug her, and honestly cry a little bit. But he isn’t sure how Nines will react, which probably wouldn’t be good considering the RK900’s narrowed eyes and the death grip on his arm.

Tina instantly stops shouting and spins around, looking at Gavin and Nines in surprise. Elijah consequently drops on his ass, grumbling, “See? There he is. I still don’t know why you’d think I would kidnap my own god damn brother.” Chloe appears, helping Elijah up and whispering something in his ear. The man turns red as they leave.

Gavin wants to gag.

Instead, he waves at his friend, “Hey, Tines.” 

Jaw clenched, Tina approaches and throws her arms around his shoulders. The police officer isn’t large, but her surprising muscle mass is more than enough to knock the wind out of him, “Woah there.”

She holds on a moment longer, and Gavin awkwardly pats her back, “Are you okay?” 

Tina abruptly pulls away, knitting her brow, “Am  _ I _ okay? What about you?” She hauls him in for another squeeze, “Gavin, I was so worried. Are  _ you _ okay?”

Gavin wants to tell the truth. 

He almost died, at Nines’ hand nonetheless. If that isn’t bad enough, the RK900’s newfound disregard for personal boundaries is bringing to light feelings that the detective doesn’t plan on acknowledging any time  _ ever _ . So, no, Gavin’s not okay. His throat hurts, he has to stay in Elijah’s stupidly posh house, the tin can’s eyes keep doing strange shit, and he really  _ really _ misses his cats.

Gavin’s scared. He’s worried about Nines. He’s worried about his  _ friend _ .

He’s not okay. But he has to be.

“Sure, for the most part. A little weirded out, but ‘m good.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m fine, Tina.”

“Good.” After pulling away, Tina sighs gently, eyes closed. 

“That’s gonna make this a lot easier.”

Gavin blinks, “Wait, what.”

Without warning, she suddenly snatches the collar of Gavin’s shirt and yanks him upwards. Shocked, he notes that upset-Tina seems to enjoy aggressively lifting people.

“ _ Gavin Alexander Reed! _ Why did I have to hear from  _ Fowler _ of all people that you weren’t coming to work because  _ Nines _ went fucking psycho and kidnapped you?” Gavin can practically see the steam coming from Tina’s ears. 

Gavin is stunned, nervously looking at a bristling Nines, “Look, I appreciate you setting me straight,” Tina snorts, “But Connor 2 over there gets jealous  _ real _ easily, and I don’t want you to be  _ terminated _ .” With wide eyes, he anxiously laughs at his own bad joke and jerks his head towards the android. Tina frowns, glancing at Nines. The tension remains tight around them.

After a moment, she backs off a little, “Fine. But I’m still mad at you.”

To his left, Nines let out a dark growl and jerks in her direction. A jolt of panic runs through Gavin’s body.

Tina whips her head in Nines’ direction, “Zip it, you metal  _ thot! _ Don’t even get me started with you!” She shouts at him. Gavin’s eyes widen at her threatening aura, certain that Nines would attack her at any second. He turns, expecting to see him in full terminator mode.

But Nines doesn’t attack her. Instead, he blinks and slowly sits back on his haunches.

‘Like a dog’ Gavin thinks to himself.

“Are you fucking kidding me.” He says out loud.

Nines truly is a maze with no exit.

For the time being, Gavin chooses to ignore the suddenly docile elephant in the room. He rubs his face and turns back towards Tina, who’s in the middle of a staring contest with the RK900.

“Look, Tina, I wanted to text you I really did, but” He gestures to Nines, “my hands have been a little full recently.”

Turning back towards the detective, Tina purses her lips. Gavin has seen that look many, many, times. Usually when he manages to drink all the break room coffee before noon. Gradually, the detective inches towards Nines in an attempt to make him relax. A small, mechanical noise is the only sign that it might be working.

Tina sends one more bewildered look towards the android, before raising her hands towards the ceiling with a groan.

“Lord, I know you and I don’t have the best relationship, but have mercy on my soul. Spare me of these shitheads for just one day.” She shakes her head at Gavin, dropping her arms with an exasperated laugh. The pair grin at each other as the tension slowly begins to recede. Even Nines looks content. Well, as content as Nines can look in his current state.

Gavin smells something  _ heavenly _ , and his eyes zero in on the bag of food still abandoned by the front door, “Please tell me that’s what I think it is.”

Tina snatches the bag with a smile and holds it up for him to see, “Evie’s Tamales missed you, Gav.” Trying not to get emotional, the detective pushes the other two back into the lab. The android throws his partner a curious look, and Gavin faltered at the humanity pouring from those eyes. Luckily, the sound of crinkling paper brought him back down to Earth.

Gavin smiles, “Come on Nines, you haven’t lived until you’ve eaten some genuine Detroit Mexican food.”

\----------

After ten minutes of trying to convince-slash-trick Nines into eating a tortilla chip (unsuccessfully), Gavin and Tina fall into casual conversation (mostly about Gavin’s cats). The trio stand around a metal workbench, one of the only ones free of clutter, as they finish up their food.

The detective’s eyes shift to Nines, who’s busy glaring daggers at the abandoned chip in front of him. He wonders if Nines would want to try eating real food once he was returned to his normal self. The android had never been one to try new things. Granted, they never really talked about much more than work.

How much does he really know about Nines?

Something pats his hand, “I’m not mad at you, rat man.” 

“Just disappointed?” Gavin chuckles.

Tina nods, laughing as she pulls him in for a hug. Gavin hugs her back.

“Love you, T.”

“I love you too, you goddamn imbecile.” Tina suddenly places a sloppy kiss on his cheek, jumping away when Gavin swings at her in response.

“You bitch! That’s assault.” Gavin’s tone is light as he scrubs at his cheek.

Tina just scoffs, “Don’t worry, I don’t have herpes. I gave it to your mom last night.” Gavin laughs and cuffs her over the head. 

A soft whirring sound brings their attention to the other presence in the room. Something in the atmosphere changes, turning on a dime.

Tina and Gavin turn towards the unmoving android, who had been silently watching their exchange. Anticipation slowly wraps around them like a thick fog. 

Gavin exhales, watching as Nines’ eyes seem to come alive. 

Red and blue swirl and roll in each iris, and a pulsing glow makes the sight even more entrancing. The android’s stare is vacant, gazing at something that only he can see. There’s a crunch sound as the chip is crushed in Nines’ fist. 

“Tina. Y-You see that, right?”

Tina glances towards her friend, “Does this happen often?”

Gavin shakes his head, “Never like this. I honestly thought I was imagining it.” The shifting colors focus on him.

_ They’re beautiful. _

Gavin keeps that thought to himself.

“Nines?”

A blink. Two artificial eyes blaze red once again. Seemingly startled, Nines collapses to the ground and curls in on himself. Gavin is frozen stiff.

Tina’s the first one to move, slowly shuffling her way over to Nines. It’s no secret that she cares about the android. When the RK900 first arrived at the precinct, Tina had been an excellent mediator between Gavin and his new partner. Most of the hostility was fueled by the detective’s hate for androids, and Nines’ resentment towards Gavin for what he did to Connor. Without Tina, Gavin isn’t sure they would have ever gotten over their problems. His heart tugs as he stares at the android in front of him; so different from who he was, yet somehow more familiar than ever.

“What happened to him?”

God, if only Gavin knew the answer to  _ that _ question, “We don’t really know. Elijah has some theories, but nothing substantial. It’s not like we can ask Nines while he’s so...”

“Feral?”

Gavin blinks at Tina, “Yeah. Feral.”

Tina bends down close to where Nines is sat on the ground. She squints her eyes, bringing a hand up and thoughtfully tapping the android’s red LED. Nines doesn’t take his eyes off her the entire time, though he doesn’t exactly appear to be bothered.

“What’s up with him?”

Gavin raises an eyebrow, “Uh, nothing new since the last time you asked me that question.” He crosses his arms, “You know, like five seconds ago.”

“Not that, you moron. I mean what’s up with his face?”

Gavin‘s face falls, “What?”

Tina gestures for him to come closer, maintaining her gaze, “Just c’mere.”

The detective hesitates, but curiosity and concern wins him over. He walks over to Tina’s side, crouching next to her. Slowly, she brings her hand up to the android’s face, pointing at his hairline.

“Do you see that?”

Gavin raises an eyebrow at Tina, but she remains fixated. The detective squints at Nines and leans in close, too distracted to really care about proximity. Not that he hasn’t been constantly within reach of Nines since all of this started.

There.

If he looks close enough, Gavin can see a faint crack on the skin above Nines’ brow.

Gavin makes a face, taking the android’s into his hands. Nines lets him without complaint, ruby eyes flicking from Tina to the detective. Every other part of his skin looks normal; perfect as usual. All except for the thin, lightning shaped fracture.

“What the hell happened to you, tin can?” Gavin murmurs. Curious, he carefully brushes his thumb across the tiny line. His stomach drops when a bit of Nines’ skin comes off with it. 

Gavin yelps, both he and Tina falling backwards at the sight.

“Holy shit.” Tina exclaims, “Are androids supposed to...peel like that?” They watch in horror as Nines’ brow furrows and he reaches up to the abrasion, scratching softly. More artificial skin falls away from his face, dissolving into thin air. Underneath, the bright white of his chassis shines through.

A noise escapes Gavin’s throat, and he rushes over to prevent Nines from inflicting any more damage. The android looks at him with a concerned expression, LED blinking. As if  _ Gavin _ is the one with a crispy face.

“I thought android skin was some kind of synthetic fluid? Why is it like that?” Tina reaches up and touches her own face, “It might be a side-effect of all the…” She waves a hand by her eyes. Gavin shivers.

“I have no fucking idea. But as much as I hate to say it, Nature Valley Bar over here needs to get a check up from Elijah.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive me for the long wait and especially for the sudden disappearance from being online. I'm focusing on my school work, and I found a job! :P Sorry if this chapter is weird, I decided to change some stuff last minute, but I like it better now. Disclaimer, I'm still not gonna be on Tumblr very often for awhile, which SUCKS because there's so much reed900 shit I need to rant about but I need to get MY shit together before I do that haha. Big love to everyone!! I hope you enjoyed<3
> 
> Let's all pray for quicker updates :)


	5. The Most Important Piece

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tina is the mom friend, Gavin vents, Elijah is low key sus, and Connor is kind of a bitch
> 
> Also, Nines go from :3 to >:( real quick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the long wait between updates, but we still chuggin along<333

“What the hell is happening, Tina.” Gavin mumbles, as the officer munches on some chips.

After Nines had started flaking like a biscuit, they carted him to Elijah and Chloe. Elijah had hooked him up to some kind of machine; a machine so big and confusing that Gavin didn’t even bother asking for an explanation. Something about checking the RK900’s “levels”, whatever that’s supposed to mean. Fuck it, Gavin isn’t a rocket scientist. Tina looks up from her chips, which are probably stale by now, chewing quickly.

“Don’t worry, Gav. Your bro is checking him out. Nines will be fine.” She says through a mouthful of chips.

Gavin shakes his head. Things are too quiet. He needs to be doing something. All this sitting around, just waiting for Nines to get worse is going to kill him.

He slams a fist down on the metal table and jolts out of his chair, making Tina jump, “I’m being fucking serious. _What the fuck is happening_!”

Tina hesitates, slowly pushing the chips aside and folding her hands together. She looks concerned.

Probably for a good reason. Gavin is pacing now, sharp breaths echoing throughout the lab. Everything just went to total shit, didn’t it? How the hell is he supposed to help Nines if he can’t even figure out what’s wrong. 

Or even where to start looking.

Nines deserves someone better. Someone who can actually help. Why does Gavin care so much?

It sucks. It really fucking sucks.

“It’s not all on you, you know.”

Gavin stops pacing. Tina continues.

“You’re not alone in this, Gavin. I promise you I’ll do anything I can to help.” She gets up and moves towards him, speaking softly the whole time, “And I’ll rain hell on anyone who tries to get in the way.” Tina chuckles.

Normally Gavin would detest this type of babying. Normally.

His shoulders shake.

Gavin can hear Tina pause behind him, “Are...Are you crying?”

For some reason it only makes the tears fall faster. His knees buckle.

Stone-faced, Tina falls to the ground next to him, wrapping her hands around his quivering shoulders and squeezing. It’s unbearably uncomfortable, opening the dams in front of his friend like this. A choked sob breaks past Gavin’s lips.

He’s losing it.

“Tina.” He can feel her patting his hair softly, “Tina I feel like I-” His voice cracks as another cry echoes around the room, “Nines is-I think I-” She shushes him softly, and Gavin has never wanted to disappear more. He can’t get the words out. He’s never _tried_ to, at least not out loud.

“I know, Gavin. I know. You don’t have to say it.”

_I think I love him._

And he feels pathetic for it.

The pair slowly rock back-and-forth on the ground until Gavin stops trembling, and then some. The detective wishes he could convince himself it was all due to recent events, but he knows better. This particular breakdown has been a long time coming.

After awhile, Tina taps his arm, “Look, I’m gonna grab some things from the cruiser.” Gavin nods, numbly wiping his eyes. He’s mortified at the sight of Tina’s rumpled uniform, and starts to apologize, but she quickly shuts that down, “Don’t worry about it. I have a million backup shirts in case Fowler ever does another one of those surprise inspections.”

Gavin wants to laugh, but he can’t open his mouth. God forbid he starts bawling again.

After a few more minutes, Tina rises, but she falters by the door, “I’ll be right back, okay Gavin?” He sniffs, wanting her to leave so he can scrape himself up off the ground along with the remnants of his dignity. She does.

Gavin silently thanks her for the small mercy.

\------

By the time Tina gets back, Gavin has managed to pull himself together. Maybe they’ll both choose to forget about it and things can just go back to the way they were.

“By the way, we’re definitely going to talk about what just happened.” She says after closing the door behind her. Gavin groans, turning around to face Tina, only to be met with a stubborn look, “I don’t want to hear it. You obviously have some pent-up emotions that you need to get off your chest, and I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t at least beat them out of you.” The officer lugs a black duffel bag over to the table. She heaves the bag onto it before collapsing into a chair, “Trust me, the sooner you lay out your feelings, the sooner you’ll actually accept them.” Ew. Girl talk. Gross.

Gavin deflects, “What’s in the bag?”

Tina shoots him a look, but concedes, “I brought some stuff from the station.” She lifts the duffel onto her lap, “It’s mostly files and other boring paperwork, but I thought it would be a good idea to bring some of Nines’ things.”

“You just grabbed random things off of his desk?”

“Well, everything except the computer.”

“And...this is it?”

Tina shrugs, “The guy doesn’t have a lot of personal belongings.” Gavin doesn’t find that hard to believe.

Tina pulls an unmarked cardboard box out of the bag. It’s a substantial size and looks pretty hefty. Naturally, Gavin is sufficiently intrigued. He takes a seat across from Tina, “Is that his?”

Tina glances up, “I think so? It was in one of the drawers.” She stops what she’s doing and pokes at the box, “Any idea what it could be?”

“None,” Smiling, Gavin pulls out one of the flaps, “I bet it’s just some spare batteries-”

Inside the box Gavin could see a block of solid, dark wood. A puff of air escaped his lips, making Tina raise an eyebrow at him. He doesn’t look at her, too busy thinking about the implications of what he’s seeing.

“He kept it.” Gavin pulls it out of the box, “Fucking asshole.” He laughs softly. Tina snags the box and reaches inside, taking out a small wooden horse head.

“A chess set,” She voices thoughtfully, “that you...gave to him?” An amused grin spreads across her face. Giggling, she holds the piece under a lamp and rolls it through her fingers.

“Fuck off.” Tina laughs at Gavin’s lack of a good comeback, which only deepens the blush on his face.

Gavin snatches the knight from her hands and places it on the board, “It’s not like that, alright?” Furrowing his eyebrows, the detective focuses on placing each piece onto it’s correct spot. His mental wall slowly repairs itself.

Leaning on the table across from him, Tina nods slowly and taps her chin, “Right. Of course it isn’t.” For a minute, the delicate plunk of wood on wood is the only sound that fills the room. Tina leans on the table and waits patiently for Gavin to finish. He can feel her staring, not pushing for answers, but still expectant. Gavin hesitates, holding the last pawn, and sighs.

“I bought it for him awhile ago.” He positions the piece onto the board a little more firmly than necessary, “We used to play at that park by the station. There were public chess sets in this one area, and Nines wanted to check it out one day. We played for weeks, everyday during lunch.” Gavin’s jaw clenches at the memory, “But then the boards disappeared, probably stolen or something.”

“You bought one so you could keep playing chess with him? I always knew you were secretly a softie.”

Gavin shoves her half-heartedly with his shoulder, “Go choke on it, bitch.” Tina barks out a laugh, and Gavin tries to hide the pink in his cheeks, “For your information, I _happened_ to stumble across it while I was out getting cat food. It’s not like it was expensive or anything.” A big, fat lie. The set was absolutely expensive; easily an entire paycheck. But, as much as he would like to deny it, Gavin had enjoyed playing chess with Nines. Fuck, sometimes it was the best part of his day.

Of course, Tina doesn’t have to know that.

She nudges the chess set with a smile, “Don’t worry, I’ll preserve your dignity.” Gavin groans and shuffles away from the table, “I need to go check on N-uh,” He sputters, catching himself, “Elijah. I need to go check on Elijah.” Tina sees right through him though, but is gracious enough to hide her laughter behind a fist.

Gavin’s escape attempt is compromised as his “friend” follows close behind him. His grumbling and her chuckles echo around the lab, then suddenly they don’t.

“Wait, how am I just now finding out that you can play fucking _chess_.”

“Shut up, Tina.”

The chess board sits peacefully on the lab table as the lights flick off.

———-

Elijah is the only one in the room when Gavin and Tina open the door. He tries to turn and walk right back out, but his brother notices him enter.

“Ah, Gavin. Come here for a moment.”

Tina, who hadn’t completely entered the room, mouths a ‘sorry’ and throws him a peace sign before turning on her heel and leaving. 

Fucking traitor.

Elijah Kamari is seated in front of a ridiculous-looking apparatus that holds up a magnifying glass. On the other side of the magnifying glass, Elijah prods at a small, lightbulb-shaped device with some tweezers.

Gavin decides to give in, since being chased down by his older brother would be too humiliating to bear, “What’s up?” He asks warily.

“I have something…” Elijah trails off in concentration. Gavin rolls his eyes.

Once Elijah seems satisfied with the device, he sets down the tweezers and faces his brother.

“I have something for you.”

This tugs at Gavin’s interest, “Is it that jacked USB looking thing?”

His brother squints, looking a little constipated, “Yes Gavin, it’s the jacked USB looking thing.”

“Okay, but seriously, what is it?”

“Seriously?” Elijah rolls his chair over to Gavin, bringing the device closer, “This is an instrument that could potentially cure your android of whatever ailment he’s contracted.”

The detective snaps to attention, “What? How?”

“I’ve determined that Nines has been infected with some kind of virus.” Elijah hesitates, “This is all metaphorical of course. The RK900 can’t get sick the same way a human can, but it’s very similar. Interestingly enough, it doesn’t seem to be a type of computeristic virus, either. It’s too...organic.”

Elijah looks like he’s expecting questions, but Gavin lets him continue.

“I believe with the right resonant frequency, we can essentially inactivate the virus before it does any permanent damage.”

Gavin shakes his head, “Layman's terms, Elijah.”

“The device emits a sound that vibrates the shit out of the problem until it dies.”

“Oh. Nice.”

“Yes. Very nice. And very expensive.”

The two are surrounded by silence for a moment, but something is nagging at the back of Gavin’s mind. It all seems too simple.

He frowns, “How do you know how to fix it if we still don’t know exactly what’s wrong with Nines?”

Elijah pauses a moment too long.

“It would be too difficult to explain, I’m afraid.”

Gavin pushes his suspicion aside for now.

“Is that just an artful way of calling me simpleminded?”

Elijah smiles, albeit nervously, “Definitely not.” He hands the device to Gavin, who takes it gingerly and twists it around in his hands.

“So, how do you turn it on?”

“It isn’t quite ready to be activated. I still need some additional material from the lab.” Elijah taps a finger on his chin, before his eyes suddenly light up, “Do you mind heading down there to grab it? I still need to finish some things here.”

Gavin gives him a look.

His brother smirks, “I believe Nines was headed in that direction when he left. He might have been looking for you.” Gavin face sours. He’s going to have to lecture Elijah for letting Nines wander off. Things are complicated enough without something happening to-

Yeesh he sounds like a concerned mother.

“Yeah, whatever.” Gavin grumbles as Elijah turns to write down what he needs. When he’s done, he pushes the paper into Gavin’s hands and ushers him towards the door. The detective barely makes it out of the doorway before he’s called back.

“One more thing.” Elijah bites his lip, letting the dramatic pause last longer than it needs to, “If we want this to work, the device must be activated when the virus is most prominent.” It takes Gavin a moment to understand.

_Oh_.

“You mean when he’s in...kill-mode.” It wasn’t a question. 

Elijah sighs. It’s unspoken, but they both know the truth.

“The material should be in a locked cabinet in the back of the lab. I wrote the combination down on the list.” After a moment he adds, “Please be safe, Gavin.”

Gavin nods absentmindedly, turning and trudging back down the hallway with weighted legs.

———

Gavin returns to the door of the lab, scratching the stubble that has grown during his little vacation. He has no idea what the material he needs looks like, but hopes he recognizes it once he sees it. 

The door opens with a smooth creak. Gavin lets it open completely, then flicks the lights on. He immediately lets out a shout.

“Oh! Jesus-“ He curses as his sight settles on the RK900, who had been _fucking_ sitting in the _fucking_ dark for some _fucking_ reason.

Gavin has to stop himself from approaching, standing by the door with a cautious foot still out the door. Nines seems normal, despite the odd circumstances. But honestly, the weird behavior is starting to become the norm for the android.

“N-“ Gavin’s voice cracks, “Nines, is that you, buddy?”

The detective is washed with relief as the android’s head swivels towards him. Bright, red eyes turn to Gavin. He makes his way over to where Nines is seated right in front of the chess board he had set out earlier. Warmth radiates from the android, something that had been so concerning before, but feels more like a comfort now.

Gavin notices that the pieces have been moved around, out of their proper spots.

“Have you been playing, big guy?” He plops down onto the chair across from Nines, “By...yourself? Is that even possible?” The RK900 doesn’t acknowledge his words, stretching out a hand to capture a pawn. It makes a soft sound as it topples over. Gavin sits quietly, watching Nines flip the board around to play the other side.

“Mind if I have a go?”

Gavin’s words make the android blink and pause mid-reach. Crimson eyes flick up to the detective’s face and flash blue, like two big sapphires, but only for a moment. Then as if nothing happened, Nines makes his next move. His eyes are red once again, though he doesn’t make a move to flip the board again.

“I’m gonna take that as a yes.” Gavin hopes he’s right; hopes that Nines doesn’t rip his arm off if he reaches for a chess piece.

He plucks a piece from the board cautiously. But, instead of placing the it back on the board, Gavin rolls it between his fingers thoughtfully. The king is made of some kind of light wood, almost white, with the number ‘9’ carved haphazardly into its side.

“I carved this in before I gave it to you.” He says softly. They both keep their eyes on the piece as Gavin continues, “I had told you that it just happened to come like that, and you didn’t say anything about it,” The corners of his lips quirk up, “but I know you didn’t believe me.”

“It kinda looks like you, Nines.”

The most important piece on the board.

Gavin finally glances up at the android, who remains absolutely still. His LED seems to brighten, eyes locked on the number cut into the king. Gavin searches those eyes, looking for any sign of-

Nines’ head whirls towards the lab door, startling the detective. A deep rumble rises from the android’s chest. Gavin gulps as sharp teeth peak past Nines’ lips, glinting in the fluorescent lights. 

Gavin tears his eyes away from the RK900 and towards the door. He’s positive that some kind of terrifying monster is about to bust through, if the sounds Nines is making are any indication. 

The doorknob twists and Gavin stands abruptly, ready for a fight. The chess piece is pushed into his pocket unconsciously, all attention focused on whatever has gotten Nines riled up. The growling only gets more intense as a figure steps into the room.

Gavin’s shoulders relax a touch, “Uh oh, it’s even worse than a scary monster.” He grumbles in Nines’ direction.

Connor stops where he is once he notices his successor, letting out a deep sigh that Gavin thinks is absolutely unnecessary for an android, “I resent that, Detective Reed.” The RK800 surveys the room, looking at the chessboard before turning chocolate colored eyes towards Nines, “How is he?”

Gavin huffs, “I don’t know, android detective, why don’t you tell me.” The air around them is considerably tense, but the detective could care less. Connor is the last person he wants to see right now.

“Look, Gavin, I’m sorry things got so antagonistic earlier. It was childish.” Gavin doesn’t miss how Connor isn’t actually apologizing for his own words, “I hope we can come to an accord.”

Gavin grits his teeth, but decides to ignore it.

As if sensing the detective’s frustration, Nines takes a step towards Connor, letting out a particularly mean snarl. The RK800 actually has the sense to take a step back.

Gavin scowls, “You know, I might be wrong, but I don’t think he really likes you at the moment.” Right now, he really doesn’t feel like being diplomatic. Nines is on edge in the other android’s presence, and Gavin can’t help but empathize.

“I wonder who he got that from.” Connor snaps back, and Gavin is a little startled at his sharp tone.

“Probably from the guy who surprise-attacked him while he was scared out of his mind.”

“You call that scared? He’s a military android, Nines doesn’t get _scared_.”

Oh, damn him to hell.

Gavin almost laughs, “That’s fucking rich, coming from you, _deviant hunter_.” The detective takes several aggressive steps towards the RK800, anger igniting a flame in his chest, “How ignorant can you be? You absolute piece of shit.” 

Connor frowns, blinking, “That came out wrong, I didn’t mean-“

“What else could you possibly mean by that? Because it sounded like you looked me in the eye and told me _you think Nines can’t feel_ .” Gavin is in his face now, pointing up at Connor accusingly. He knows he should calm down. This isn’t the time nor the place, but _come on_.

“You don’t know anything about him!” Connor snarls, LED blinking between yellow and red.

“I’m the _only one_ who knows _anything_ about him!” Blood pounded in Gavin’s head. At least this seemed to shut the RK800 up for a second. The room is quiet as the weight of Gavin’s words settle around them.

Deadly quiet.

Connor seems to notice at the same time as Gavin, and the argument is suddenly forgotten as panic sets in. The detective whirls around.

Nines is still standing in the same place, but something is markedly wrong. His posture is as straight as usual, but his arms hang loosely at his sides, head angled low. Gavin notes the large white patch on his cheek where an alarming amount of his skin has dissolved.

Finally the detective recognizes the absence of red from the RK900’s eyes and LED; the absence of any color at all.

“Shit.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING I PULLED MOST OF THE TECHNICAL SHIT IN THIS CHAPTER STRAIGHT OUT OF MY ASS SO JUST PRETEND IT MAKES SENSE


End file.
